This invention relates to real time video data acquisition system and more particularly methods and apparatus for synchronously recording, transmitting and reproducing composites of video, audio and instrumentation data on a real time basis.
Research, development and testing activities frequently require that data obtained from measuring instrumentation or the like be interpreted in light of additional matter concerning the test environment and particularly instantaneous, observable conditions coinciding with measurements obtained through instrumentation. This is particularly so when the research or testing involves a man machine interface since environmental factors at work at the interface or observable events occurring thereat often strongly influence the instrumentation data obtained and/or present mandatory factors which must be considered in interpreting the same. While such instantaneously occurring data frequently cannot be readily measured, it can be seen and/or heard.
Such instantaneous environmental data and/or observable conditions have, in the past, been recorded by way of motion pictures, audio recorders and more recently by way of video recorders. However, when recording media of this type is employed in conjunction with instrumentation data which is recorded on strip charts, analog or digital tape recorders, or the like, the synchronism in time of the different reproducing media is difficult and often impossible to achieve with sufficient accuracy to permit an accurate correlation of the various forms of data for the events displayed and recorded. Efforts to alleviate such difficulties in achieving accurate synchronism have frequently involved elaborate timing and correlation systems. However, in each case data acquisition systems where all data measured is presented by way of an overlay of such data on the instantaneous video and audio data obtained is greatly preferred. Such overlays have, in the past, been created by use of computer synthesis and/or graphic overlay techniques; however, these do not result in real time presentations.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide real time video data acquisition systems wherein picture, sound and quality instrumentation data may be synchronously recorded, transmitted and/or displayed.
A further object of this invention is to provide methods and apparatus for synchronously recording picture, sound and quality instrumentation data on a conventional video tape recorder.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide methods and apparatus for recording blocks of digital data on one or more picture lines.
A further object of the present invention is to provide methods and apparatus for recording and reproducing additional data synchronously with a clock which is frequency-slaved to the video horizontal frequency and phase controlled by the horizontal signal and by 0/1 transitions in the data train.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a data acquisition system which digitizes analog data, records the same in digital form, and plays back such data simultaneously in RAM formatted digital, parallel analog and visual bar graph and/or numeric form all in real time.
Various other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment thereof and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in conjunction with the claims appended hereto.